Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

-The Shell Must Break Before The Bird Can Fly-

What is your shell that keeps you from growth, excitement, happiness, possibility? Lately, my own limitations have been fear, but, without risks, I wouldn’t get to experience so many wonderful changes or opportunities to see what’s better.

When you need to speak in public, but your knees buckle even before you reach the podium. You want to expand your network, but you would rather swallow nails than make small talk with strangers. Speaking up in meetings would further your reputations at work, but you are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Situations like these, ones that are important professionally, but personally terrifying, unfortunately, ubiquitous. An easy response to these situations is avoidance. Who wants to feel anxious when you don’t have to?

But the problem, of course, is that these tasks aren’t just unpleasant; they’re also necessary. As we grow and learn in our jobs and our careers, we’re constantly faced with situations where we need to adapt our behavior. It’s simply a reality of the world we work in today. And without the skill and courage to take the leap, we can miss out on important opportunities for advancement. How can we as professionals stop building our lives around avoiding these unpleasant, but professionally beneficial, tasks?

When I was pursuing my degree, I took Hospitality and Tourism Business as my main study focus because for me, learning about tourism business is the perfect gateway option for a person who wants to break the mound of conventional life and gain valuable skills in the process. All needed is love for travel, meeting new people, new culture, how we can mitigate the negative impacts of travel on the environment which I passionate about. Then, after I graduated, became a fresh graduate student is not easy to look for a job.

After became a job hunter, I started my career at Shackleton Towers as a Recruitment Consultant which differs from what I studied at my university. I felt like I was stepping onto a train without knowing my destination. Technically, it might have been an accurate intuition, if you've ever experienced a transit commute, you know that there's no telling what's to come or if you will really end up where you intended. But I felt the same way about my new job. Was I as qualified as my resume said? As talented as my family, my friends liked to assure me I was? Could I really make my boss and my other colleagues proud of me?

Applying and interviewing for the position was nerve-wracking for me, but I knew it was necessary to get where I wanted to be. And now that I'm here, working a job that I don't mind commuting nearly hours to, I sometimes still feel trapped within the boundaries of my anxiety.

I often watch my colleagues at work and wonder how they do what they do. How do they spend hours on the phone or PC with sources, conversing like they're best friends? How does she deliver presentations to our entire team without a red face and shaky voice? And why can't I seem to do the same?

The answer is simple: I'm not pushing myself as much as I could be. Even when you've reached a goal or are comfortable with where you are in life, it's still important to challenge yourself so you can continue to grow and reach your full potential.

“Sometimes it is good to be in uncomfortable situations because it is in finding our way out of such difficulties that we learn valuable lessons.”

Along with that, I started to gain benefits from stepping outside of my comfort zone:

1. I found myself become more confident.

I've spent most of my life wishing to be someone else, wishing to be able to do more than I believed I could. And I realize now that I could be that person and do those things. But many of my goals are safe goals that I know, though they require work, are attainable without too much risk.

With the support of my colleague at Shackleton Towers, they taught me a lot to be more confident in myself. Since then, I believe, the more I push myself, the more I realize how capable am I of doing the things I thought were impossible. I become more comfortable in situations that used to scare me, and in turn, I will feel more self-assured.

Every week in my workplace, we have a weekly meeting with the team where we shared and present our thoughts and ideas. Most of the time, I always limit myself to share my thoughts, so I typically try to keep my commentary to a minimum so I don't have to talk for too long. But I had a lot of pitches I was sitting on, and I was tired of allowing my fear of rejection or failure to stop me from presenting them to the group.

When I spoke up, though my voice felt shaky and my thoughts scattered, I remembered that my team wanted to hear what I had to say, and I was able to connect with them invaluable ways. I immediately felt more confident in myself and my ideas.

2. Others will view you as credible

If you ever heard the sayings “fake it till you make it.". No matter how uncomfortable or afraid you feel, sometimes you need to wear a brave face and push forward. If you allow others to see your hesitation or apprehension, they'll lose trust in you and your potential.

The first time I ever interviewed a candidate or met my client, I was clueless. What should I ask? How should I record their responses? How long should the interview last? Of course, I didn't want to make my uncertainty and confusion visible to this expert. I wanted them to know that, despite how much my hands were quivering; I am a credible recruiter who capable of doing my job.

Even if I didn't believe that myself at the time, I needed to push myself to portray that image and complete the interview (which went well, aside from my awkward laughs drowning out, but those are just minor details). Afterward, I was shocked at how willing the client was to speak again in the future, and how many new clients reached out for the opportunity as well.

3. Gain experience

I always trying to saying yes to new opportunities, no matter how intimidating they may seem, is the only way I can continue to grow. With these experiences come valuable lessons that I can't learn in a classroom.

When I was in college, I worked in various jobs like marketing, campus ambassador, photographer and videographer, telemarketing, tourism enthusiast, event organizer, fashion model. Each position I assumed felt like a shot in the dark, and I made mistakes that make me cringe to this day. I was petrified of falling short, and I did a few times, but I know I needed that experience, those rejections, to learn, improve and progress in the industry.

4. Broaden the horizons

Trying new ventures might mean finding new interests, meeting new contacts or honing new skills, which can help me become a well-versed worker. While one day, I might find a night alone more appealing, forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone might inspire me more than I realize. At the end of the day, the only person who can hold you back is you.

Start with small steps instead of jumping right into something big. I am so grateful to have a perfect team at my current company in Shackleton Towers who always offers advice, encourages me in advance of a challenging situation and completing each other. 

What I can learn from my colleagues is; we may stumble, but that is OKAY. It is the only way we will learn, especially if we can appreciate that missteps are inevitable and an essential part of the learning process. In the end, even though we might feel powerless in situations outside our comfort zone, we have more power than we think. So, give it a go. Be honest with yourself, make the behavior your own, and take the plunge. My guess is we will be pleased with having allowed yourself to grow, learn, and expand our professional repertoire.

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”― Roy T. Bennett